Will we get a more stable/permanent X-Men lineup soon? There doesn’t seem to be a well-defined core team at the moment.

Nick Lowe: Derek! You are living in the past! Shake free of thinking of the X-Men as blue and gold teams. Certain books have set teams (“Astonishing X-Men,” “X-Force,” the upcoming “New Mutants”), but things have changed. The X-Men aren’t strike teams that protect mutants – they’re an army led by a general (Cyclops). He has specific groups that he puts together for specific tasks and some are more formal than others.

Christ almighty. New Mutants volume 3 comes in 2003 for 13 issues then is relaunched to New X-Men Academy X in 2005 for the first 20 issues which then becomes simply New X-Men under a new writing team, which ends after issue 43 (or something) in 2008 which is then relaunched to Young X-Men which ran 12 issues and now in 2009 they will relaunch it as New Mutants...volume 4.

WTF is wrong with Marvel?

I get that this with be the "old team" reunited, but they began to do that in the 2003 series which brought in all the new youngsters as well. I'm sure fans would be most happy for a title that combines the old generation with the new, as advisors and students, etc, but they just keep effing it up every time they re-launch or re-do something!

Christ almighty. New Mutants volume 3 comes in 2003 for 13 issues then is relaunched to New X-Men Academy X in 2005 for the first 20 issues which then becomes simply New X-Men under a new writing team, which ends after issue 43 (or something) in 2008 which is then relaunched to Young X-Men which ran 12 issues and now in 2009 they will relaunch it as New Mutants...volume 4.

For those of us old enough to remember, makes me wish Jim Shooter was back as EIC.

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Holly Noelle Hanna born 12/14/2009 @5:32pm. 7lb 3oz 18 3/4" in length making me a very happy new daddy.

In May, Marvel is relaunching New Mutants with writer Zeb Wells, this time focusing the ongoing series on "what happened next" to the characters from the beloved classic series.

"We want this book to be the sequel to the 80's series," Wells said. "We want to do something that will let fans know how these characters turned out after they 'graduated.'"

Wells said that when Marvel editor Nick Lowe got in touch with him about the idea of a relaunch, everyone was on the same page, wanting to use as many of the classic characters as possible. To start, the team will feature Cannonball, Magma, Sunspot, Illyana, Xi'an, and Dani Moonstar.

"They're not all together when we start, but by the end of the first issue they're more or less functioning as a team," Wells said. "They're the classics. And you'll be seeing some more familiar faces very soon."

The writer said that while the focus is on classic characters, the stories will be a little different this time around because they've graduated.

"The New Mutants are the first batch of kids that were being trained in Xavier's school to actually graduate" he said. "And I don't mean that in the small 'they got a diploma' way...I mean they were being trained as X-Men and now, for all intents and purposes, that's what they are.

"That's not to say they're part of the X-Men team proper, but in the eyes of their peers they're qualified to act as an autonomous team," Wells explained. "They are adults. They're bonafide mutant heroes."

The writer said the focus will be on what it's like for these kids to become adults, and how their training and shared experience helps them with that transition.

"The book is about a group of friends learning how to be adults together, how to function as a full-fledged X-Men squad – not being told what to do and tagging along on missions, but being in charge of their own destiny," Wells said. "We want to show them being the mutants Xavier trained them to be, while having fun with the same character dynamics that were so great back in the day."

The first story in the new series will be about the team facing down one of their classic villains, although Wells wasn't talking about which one.

"Oh, ho ho. Just wait and see," he teased.

One of the challenges the team will face is going up against top-tier villains, and the first story will see Sam Guthrie taking the reigns of leadership and coming to grips with what that means.

"They're going to be expected to face X-Men level villains on their own," Wells said. "The challenge is living up to that responsibility. A big theme in volume one was their desire to be treated like adults. Well, now they are, and we'll see how they handle it."

But Wells also clarified that the book isn't just a "coming of age" comic, but will have a serious tone as the team risks their lives in a high-stakes environment.

"I want people to feel that these are a young generation of soldiers on the front lines of a war against extinction. They're a family with a lot of history who will die for each other, and they'll have many opportunities to prove that," he said. "I want old school New Mutants fans to love this book, I want to give them high stakes stories with the characters they love."

As for the future of the comic, Wells said the list of team members for the first issue doesn't necessarily mean no other characters will be joining.

"If you're upset that your favorite New Mutant isn't on the team, give us a few months," he said. "You won't be disappointed."

Reunions can be tricky things. For every spoft-spoken, tear-filled get together with old friends, there are a dozen cases where reconnecting lets old conflicts boil back to the surface. Considering that, fans may have a bumpy ride in store when the students of Marvel's classic "New Mutants" series reunite for a new, May-launching ongoing helmed by writer Zeb Wells and artist Diogenes Neves as announced this weekend at the 2009 New York Comic-Con.

Making their original appearance in a self-titled 1982's Marvel Graphic Novel, the New Mutants were created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod and served as the first major expansion to Professor Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters since the All-New X-Menyears before. Over their original 100 issue run (which also featured the artistic hand of creators from Bill Sienkiewicz to Rob Liefeld), the core team including Cannonball, Dani Moonstar and Magma amongst others confronted both growing up as mutants and facing down supervillains for the first time. The new series (which will replace the soon-to-wrap "Young X-Men"), promises to feature the majority of the original book's core cast after graduation in a much more dangerous world for mutantkind than they once faced. To parse out the details, CBR talked to Wells for an early look into why the team is returning, which old faces will play the biggest roles and how this series deals with the events and traumas of recent story lines featuring the characters.

CBR: Zeb, could you tell us about your background with the New Mutants in general? The original series seems to be a keystone book for a lot of writers in your "generation" of Marvel creators. What was it about the series that left such a strong impression?

Zeb Wells: Well, having a revolutionary run by Bill Sienkiewicz never hurt any book, but I think there was also a tone that Claremont cultivated that really got to me when I was young. Everything seemed so dramatic and important. The characters felt everything so intensely, you couldn't help but get caught up in it.

That said, the original series dealt very much with some issues of its time featuring characters who were teenagers. Considering the fact that we're 20 years out and those kids have grown up considerably...how do you make this series work in a way that isn't just about recreating something that a lot of readers are nostalgic for?

I think there’s a lot of potential in addressing those issues head on...the fact that they’ve grown up and are in a different place. I don’t have the crutch of them constantly reminding each other that they’ve got to work as a team. They’re past that. It’s time to extrapolate from the past how these characters would behave as adults. In the tapestry of the New Mutants story, the 80’s/90’s series was Book One. It’s time to move on to Book Two. And in doing so we can bring back characters and villains that people might be nostalgic for, but with a different perspective, an eye towards the evolution of these characters.

Simply put, what's your mission statement for this series? Where do we come back into these characters lives, and what motivated them to get the band back together?

The New Mutants are the only group of youths aside from the X-Men who have “graduated” Professor Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters. For all intents and purposes they are the next X-Men, just as Xavier intended. That’s my mission statement for the series, to show what if means to graduate Xavier’s. To that end, we come back to these characters at a time when all of them have been off doing their own thing, and they realize that if they’re going to be on a team, they’d just a soon be on a team with each other. They’re family at this point...they want to take care of each other.

I think when you grow up with a group of friends and go through a lot, you feel a lot of responsibility towards them. If something bad happens to them, you feel like you should have been there. The book is about these characters making a conscious effort to be there for each other again.

The driving force of the X-Books in general over the past few years has been a survival aspect, most recently seen in the form of the new X-Men mutant sanctuary in San Francisco. How do those elements play backdrop to your New Mutants series?

Mutants are fighting a war. And its no longer a war for the hearts and minds of humanity, it’s a war of survival. The New Mutants are young characters, yes, but they’ve grown up in the middle of this conflict. They lost their youth to this conflict. It really informs who they are, and it informs their new identity as a team. Cyclops doesn’t have time to dick around with them in the Danger Room, repeating ad nauseum that they’ve got to work together as a team. He’s got enough to worry about. It’s more like, “Okay, you guys are trained, you’re graduates, get out there and make the world a safer place for mutants. It’s your responsibility to figure out what that means.”

In a more direct story sense, there's been a lot going on in the stories of the X-Universe over the past year or so, and many of them directly impacted the New Mutants characters. In what ways does this series serve as a continuation of books like "Messiah Complex" and "X-Infernus"? How did looking at those stories help prep you for this book?

With any book, context is king. You have to know where these characters are coming from so you can write them believably, and in that sense the more recent stories are invaluable. It’s great that I can look at Empath’s capture in recent "Uncanny X-Men" issues and think, “Oh, what would Magma think about that? She’s had a complex relationship with Empath, what’s her take?” The more plugged into the tapestry you and the characters you’re writing are, the better. It gives the characters a better chance at suggesting the stories to you, as opposed to you trying to shoehorn them into something.

Diving into some of the characters from the original team and how they'll appear, Dani Moonstar and Sunspot are a pair who have recently turned their roles as general X-Men support staff into teaching roles with the Young X-Men. How have their more adult positions in the Xavier organization changed how they interact with their peers?

Well, I honestly believe, looking at both those characters and their histories, that they would be itching to get out of their teaching jobs as quickly as possible. I don’t know how old you are, but did you have a burning desire to teach in your 20s? If you’re in your 20s, do you feel like you have a lot to offer a 14-year-old? Dani Moonstar is a bad @$$. Sunspot is a hothead and a ladies man. Time to stop teaching and time to start doing. What’s that saying, “You can teach when you’re dead” or something like that?

On the flipside of that, we've got the all-action duo of Wolfsbane and Cannonball. Aside from being some of the most active members on the superheroing side of things, both of these characters have dealt with a fair amount of trauma lately. What does reuniting with their teenage teammates offer these guys in terms of comfort and stability, and how might that not be enough considering the drama they may carry with them?

With Sam, the drama he’s seen adds to the weight of responsibility he’ll feel in his new leadership role. He loves the rest of the New Mutants like family, obviously, but its his job to keep them all safe. He has to make sure they all come home at the end of the day. So for him the team is less about comfort and more about watching his friends’ backs.

Wolfsbane won’t be playing a large role in New Mutants, as she’s being used (and used incredibly well) by Craig Kyle and Chris Yost in "X-Force." If she ever becomes available we’ll see how she fits into the team, but I’ll admit that I’m in no hurry to see that happen.

Finally, in Karma and Magma we've got two cases of yet untapped potential. How will they step up to more prominent roles in the issues ahead?

Karma is at the center of the first arc of the series, and she’s really the emotional heart of it. By the end of it we’ll have a better idea of who she is and why her character is so strong. I’m actually really into her right now, and excited about where we can take her.

Magma, out of all the characters, probably considers herself to be the most mature. She’ll be keeping an eye on things, and comes into conflict with Illyana a lot, who is a bit of a loose cannon.

What can you say about the first story arc in terms of where things take off, what the conflict centers on and any villains or supporting characters we might see along the way?

Well, I don’t want to ruin too much of it, but the first issue will see the return of a classic villain that will change their lives forever! Bet you’ve never heard that before...

On art chores you've got a good mix of established talent like Alex Ross and Adam Kubert and, of course, the legendary Bob McLeod helping out with covers and a relative newcomer on interiors in the form of Diogenes Neves. What was your response to the cover lineup, and what kind of style does Diogenes bring to the interiors that make the book unique in terms of X-Comics?

The cover line up is truly mind-blowing...I couldn’t be more excited. But what’s really great is what Diones is putting into the interiors. His lines are so clean and expressive. He’s really bringing a feeling of intensity to the book. He’s killing it.

It's the trademark hairstyle of a native American woman, I actually like it.

no. its a trademark STEREOTYPE hairstyle of a Native American woman. Not ALL native American women where their hair like that, hell not even all the women of that particular tribe/group even wear their hair like that.

I drew up the comparison before, but Dani constantly having the long pigtails (and occasionally feathers in her hair) is a lot like putting Sunspot in a Carnaval suit. It's like putting Sunfire in a kimono with a ponytail.

Dani is like one of the minority Superfriends. The most prominent thing about those characters was their flagrant tokenism. Apache Chief was a Native American who spoke like an Old West movie stereotype, always wore a headband, and had a codename that described his ethnicity better than his powers.

Dani Moonstar always has long pigtails, sometimes has feathers in her hair, shot her psychic powers from an arrow, was the only one who could communicate with Wolfsbane in animal form, and is now using her surname as a codename.

Just look at the above artwork. Magma is always on fire, Cannonball is always mid-flight, Magik has her glowing sword, and Sunspot is always in his dark light-absorption mode. Dani Moonstar is the only one wearing cultural trappings on her costume, and she's shooting an arrow half the time.

I've got a million rants like these. Ever wonder why Jubilee was a Chinese girl who shot fireworks and knows gymnastics?

I liked her X-force look. They didnt rely on having her in ponytails and feathers all the time to show us that she was Native American. No tribal symbols anywhere on this costume or on her boots. It was rare for Dani

I liked her X-force look. They didnt rely on having her in ponytails and feathers all the time to show us that she was Native American. No tribal symbols anywhere on this costume or on her boots. It was rare for Dani

ok, weren't the Hellions all eradicated by Sentinels? or was that like a third string team...i remember a character named beefcake or something. it was an awesome issue. it was the birth of the XMen gold team. Jean, Storm, Colossus, Iceman(i think). bishop was introduced a few issues later...it was my first issue i ever bought of x-men...my aunt had given me the one where storm beats cyclops for leadership of the x-men.

ok, weren't the Hellions all eradicated by Sentinels? or was that like a third string team...i remember a character named beefcake or something. it was an awesome issue. it was the birth of the XMen gold team. Jean, Storm, Colossus, Iceman(i think). bishop was introduced a few issues later...it was my first issue i ever bought of x-men...my aunt had given me the one where storm beats cyclops for leadership of the x-men.

No, most of the Hellions were killed off. The living Hellions are Empath, Magma, Firestar, Warpath and Tarot. By the time the sentinel attack occured, Empath and Magma had left for Nova Roma, Warpath was in X-Force, and Firestar was a New Warrior. Tarot died but showed up alive in X-force as part of the New Hellions group

IGN Comics: Nick, what lead to the return of New Mutants? Was this something that spun out from the Messiah Complex/War storyline?

Nick Lowe: It's something we've been brewing for some time. There's just something about these characters. So many people love them (myself included) but they've had trouble clicking on their own ever since they broke up. Some have had more success than others, but they haven't been as huge as they were when New Mutants was big. But in the past few years they've each been popping up a lot more. Cannonball in Mike Carey's X-Men run. Several of them in Fraction's Uncanny #501. Marc Guggenheim loves them and that's why they played such a big role in Young X-Men. And Illyana is the center of X-Infernus. The time just felt right to get the band together.

IGN Comics: The X-Men franchise has seen much of its past returning recently, including Stryfe and now the New Mutants sheer coincidence? Did the writing and editorial teams take a look at the state of the characters and realize some critical elements had been left behind?

Lowe: Well, ever since we moved the X-Men out to SF, we've been establishing their status quo as we go along. This was another base to cover. And we saw a hole. New Mutants used to be huge. Tom Brevoort once posted a set of old sales numbers on his blog. In April of 1984, New Mutants #18 was the 3rd highest selling book for Marvel, after only Secret Wars #4 and Uncanny X-Men #184. It sold more than Spider-Man. It sold more than FF and Avengers and all the rest. Sure, it was the start of Bill Sienkiewicz's run on the book, but #3 book from Marvel? We think these characters deserve more than they have now and thought it could have a clear and necessary place in the X-Men status quo.

IGN Comics: Each series in the franchise has a fairly distinct role and tone. Where does New Mutants situate itself? How will it stand apart from the other teams as well as its spiritual heirs, New and Young X-Men?

Lowe: Something happens in the first issue that makes it necessary for this specific group to get back together, but it goes a bit deeper than that. The New Mutants are in an odd place in the X-Men
hierarchy. They're not all considered full-fledged X-Men, but they're not kids anymore either. And it hit Zeb and I that it's a lot like when you leave college and join the working world of adults. You're on the edge of a major change and it's not an easy change. That's the underlying theme of the book, the transition from child to adult.

Zeb Wells: Yeah, if you look at New and Young X-Men as books about young mutants being trained to be X-Men, New Mutants is about what happens after you "graduate." That's who the New Mutants are, the first group of young mutants to actually graduate from the Xavier School and become the next generation of X-Men. We want to look at what that means, and how the characters will deal with it. There will be some growing pains, to say the least.

IGN Comics: New Mutants is a concept that really started to be phased out in the '90s with the rise of X-Force. For newer readers, how will you emotionally connect them to this returning team? I've heard the original team is returning will there be new members, perhaps to give a fresh perspective?

Wells: There are a few good scenes to be had in seeing the characters interact with the aforementioned Young X-Men, so that we can show new readers exactly where these characters fit into the X-Universe. In order to keep the concept "clean" I don't see any new members showing up for a while, though we will see characters from the team's past being used in interesting ways.

IGN Comics: Can you discuss the team and its roster, and what each character brings to the series?

Wells: Cannonball - He's the team leader. He realizes its time for him to step up and take responsibility. He knows this is a big deal and is a little frightened by it.

Sunspot - He's the ladies man, and has realized how important his relationship with the New Mutants is to him. He wants to be there for Sam and the rest. He sees the New Mutants as a way to take a break from his complicated life and just worry about what's important to him...taking care of his friends.

Magma - She's got a lot on her mind with her former boyfriend Empath being locked up at X-Men HQ, and she's not so sure about what Illyana's up to, so she'll be keeping an eye on her.

Illyana - She's an enigma to the team. Her arrival leads to the team being put back together, but she seems to be keeping a lot to herself.

Dani Moonstar - She's trying to get over the loss of her powers and find a way to be useful to the team. She's no longer technically a mutant, but she's not going anywhere.

Xi'an - Karma is pragmatic and strong. She's been through a lot and it hasn't broken her. It's only made her stronger. She's the team's rock.

In the second arc we'll be picking up a few more members that fans will be most pleased with...

IGN Comics: What will these mutants be facing in the early issues and arcs? Will the book initially focus on these characters' reactions to the major changes in the X-world?

Wells: In their first arc they have to deal with a villain from their past, then they will be swept up in the goings on of the X-Universe.

IGN Comics: How much interaction will the book have with other X-titles? Will it feature any other X-Men or perhaps X-Force characters?

Lowe: The first arc is pretty self-contained. It picks up soon after the end of X-Infernus and is an easy jumping on point for people who haven't been keeping up with all the X-Books. Starting in the second arc, it ties very closely into the tapestry of the X-Men side of the Marvel U, with X-Force and Uncanny and the rest.

IGN Comics: The New Mutants have always had a strong leader to follow. First it was Xavier, then Cable. Now that both men are out of the picture, who will the team turn to for guidance? Now that they're older and wiser, do they even need to turn to an elder for leadership?

Wells: That's one of the big questions we want to explore. Cyclops thinks they are at a point where they need to be let loose to stretch their wings, so while he will still technically be the "General" of the army, Sam Guthrie is going to have to step up and be the team's Cable or Xavier. It's time to cut the cord.

IGN Comics: Nick, has an artist been selected for the series yet?

Lowe: Oh, yeah. Diogenes Neves is on this book, hot off X-Men: Worlds Apart. Check out some early pencils.

IGN Comics: Is there anything else you guys would like to add about the return of New Mutants?

Wells: Only that we're taking this serious. We want to show new readers why these characters are so loved, and give fans of the characters the next chapter in the New Mutants story. Volume One was a 100-issue first act. Here comes act two.

I really wish that Dani would have been co leader. I had my reservations against Sam being in this when it was first hinted months ago bc they might downplay Dani in favor of him. I hope that doesnt end up being the case

ok, weren't the Hellions all eradicated by Sentinels? or was that like a third string team...i remember a character named beefcake or something. it was an awesome issue. it was the birth of the XMen gold team. Jean, Storm, Colossus, Iceman(i think). bishop was introduced a few issues later...it was my first issue i ever bought of x-men...my aunt had given me the one where storm beats cyclops for leadership of the x-men.

As Havok83 has said most of the orginal Hellions where killed off but a couple other versions have popped up through the years. One version lead by Monets brother Emplate which had no ties to the orginal and another version lead by King Bedlam who turn down Emma Frosts invatation to join and featured his girlfriend Tarot who he somehow brought back to life.

Cannonball has already gone through his leadership issues and shown to be a capable leader. He has been trained to be a leader by Xavier, Magneto, Cable and Pete Wisdom. He lead when Cable and Pete left X-Force isn't it kind of a backstep.

I always thought of Cannonball was intended to be a X-Men leader in the same kind of way Cyke was even though they are different characters.

I always thought of Cannonball was intended to be a X-Men leader in the same kind of way Cyke was even though they are different characters.

Cable was initially intended to be Cannonball from the future, but Marvel nixxed that idea in favor of making him Scott's son who was sent to the future around the same time. Im glad they went with that instead